Road warriors: How Keiser football carved its path to the national championship

Matthew Aguilar-Lizzi, Palm Beach Post
·4 min read

The Keiser Seahawks are off to North Carolina where they will take on the Northwestern (Iowa) Raiders in the NAIA National Championship game on Saturday.

Kickoff is set for noon at Durham County Memorial Stadium.

This is Keiser’s fourth appearance in the playoffs and the Seahawks' first time appearing in the national championship game in the program’s history.

“I’m just really proud of this football team,” Keiser head coach Doug Socha said. “I love the journey this team and program have taken, and we have guys that have been here for a long time and some that just joined us… it’s a special deal.”

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Keiser University football head coach Doug Socha during the Seahawks' national quarterfinal against Grand View University on Nov. 26 in Sioux City, Iowa.
Keiser University football head coach Doug Socha during the Seahawks' national quarterfinal against Grand View University on Nov. 26 in Sioux City, Iowa.

Keiser's road warriors

The Seahawks had just three home games all season and won all of them.

They ended up playing 10 games on the road out of 13 and finished the season 10-3 overall and undefeated in the Sunshine Conference, 6-0.

“It's an awesome feeling,” Keiser starting quarterback Shea Spencer said. “You got to just live in the moment and be a road warrior.”

Keiser quarterback Shea Spencer (16) throws a pass during the Seahawks' national first-round game at Bethel University on Nov. 19 in McKenzie, Tennessee.
Keiser quarterback Shea Spencer (16) throws a pass during the Seahawks' national first-round game at Bethel University on Nov. 19 in McKenzie, Tennessee.

Spencer threw for 274 yards and two touchdowns in the semifinal game against No. 3-ranked Grand View.

Their last three games were against the first-, second- and fourth-best teams in the country, all they have left is No. 3.

“There's a lot of preparation that goes into these games,” Socha said. “You got to be ready to ride the wave of any momentum. Momentum swings that you might get, or that you might be against you, and you just got to ride through that and just focus on your job one play at a time. I think if we do that, and we focus on being our best, we're going to have a chance to be a national championship team.”

They just hope the pendulum swings their way on Saturday.

History in the making

Keiser's Michael Robinson carries the ball during the Seahawks' national quarterfinal win against Grand View University on Nov. 26 in Sioux City, Iowa.
Keiser's Michael Robinson carries the ball during the Seahawks' national quarterfinal win against Grand View University on Nov. 26 in Sioux City, Iowa.

The Seahawks are on the verge of making their mark in the history books, being national champs for the first time in their history.

They defeated the Grand View Vikings, 38-21, in the semifinals.

They were led by the Offensive Player of the Game Jaden Meizinger, and racked up 149 yards on the ground while holding the Vikings to -13 yards rushing. Meizinger scored three rushing touchdowns on 41 carries for 162 yards.

“It's a great group of young people with high character, said Socha. “There's a lot of talent in a locker room and really excited for these guys.”

Keiser's Jaden Meizinger escapes defenders during the Seahawks' national semifinal against Grand View University on Dec. 3, 2022.
Keiser's Jaden Meizinger escapes defenders during the Seahawks' national semifinal against Grand View University on Dec. 3, 2022.

Socha, however, will make sure that they treat this final like any other game and get the players mentally ready.

“Nothing changes from what we been doing every week,” said Socha. “It’s obviously the championship game, but it’s all about trying to be our best and to stay focused and execute at the highest level. Every guy has to do their job and that will give us the best chance to win.”

Up for the challenge

The Northwestern Raiders (12-1 overall) are ranked No. 3 in the nation and are making their second appearance in three seasons in the series, their seventh in program history.

They go into this championship game with a perfect 8-0 home record led by American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) head Coach of the Year Matt McCarty.

The Raiders have the lowest number of turnovers this season, 11, since 2010 when they had 15. They have their quarterback, Jalyn Gramstad, who played defensive back his first two seasons before being moved to quarterback during last spring's practices. He took the place of now-former quarterback Blake Fryar, who passed for 2,172 yards and 25 touchdowns last year.

Keiser's Jaylen Arnold catches a pass during the Seahawks' national quarterfinal game against Morningside University on Nov. 26 in Sioux City, Iowa.
Keiser's Jaylen Arnold catches a pass during the Seahawks' national quarterfinal game against Morningside University on Nov. 26 in Sioux City, Iowa.

Gramstad has passed for 2,264 yards and 22 touchdowns and also rushed for a team-high of 965 yards and 22 touchdowns. This is the second-most in the NAIA this year.

All the pressure is on Keiser. They will carry the state of Florida on their shoulders.

Socha and the players are blocking out the noise and will put all their focus into Saturday's matchup.

“We are all creatures of habit,” Socha said. “We are dealing with academics and finals, trying to manage that. But, we will wrap up our last practice in town today (Tuesday)… the mental piece between our last practice and kickoff is huge.”

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Keiser football embrace 'road warrior' mentality to reach national final